With Michael releasing this week, actor Jaafar Jackson is knee-deep in the movie’s promotional events. But before people get to know the legendary Michael Jackson up close, the actor is making sure to bust some popular myths about his uncle. Folks interpreted the pop icon’s lighter skin as a sign of insecurity about his original identity. Dismissing such claims, Jaafar weighed in on Michael’s medical struggles that many failed to take into account.
Jaafar Jackson sets the record straight on Michael’s skin complexion
On Monday, Jaafar Jackson arrived at Michael’s premiere in Los Angeles. Speaking with the press, he brushed off the narrative that his uncle bleached his skin because he “wanted to be white.” Instead, the 29-year-old actor highlighted Michael’s struggles with vitiligo and how they went unnoticed by the media and the masses. “This film gives you that understanding of what vitiligo is and [how] it played a part in his [Michael] life, and not a lot of people really understand what that is,” Jackson said.
“He was dealing with that at an early age,” Jaafar added. Moreover, he revealed that the movie will also showcase Michael’s journey from The Jackson 5 to global stardom and his behind-the-scenes battles. For the record, the Billie Jean singer suffered from vitiligo, a condition that ran in his family and caused him to lose skin pigmentation.
In 1993, Jackson sat down with Oprah Winfrey to address rumors claiming he was lightening his skin. “It is something I cannot help,” Jackson said back then. “When people make up stories that I don’t want to be who I am, it hurts me,” he said. “It’s a problem for me. I can’t control it. But what about all the millions of people who sit in the sun to become darker, to become other than what they are? Nobody says nothing about that.”
Moreover, Michael faced heavy scrutiny for his cosmetic surgeries, which made him look poles apart from his younger self. When Winfrey brought that up, Jackson admitted to getting under the knife for rhinoplasty. But he refrained from sharing details about his treatment, saying he underwent fewer surgeries than people thought.
“You can count them on two fingers,” he clarified. “I have never had my cheekbones done, never had my eyes done, never had my lips done.” Unfortunately, Jackson revealed he didn’t like his appearance in the latter part of his career. Don’t forget to catch Michael in theaters near you on April 24 and let us know your thoughts.
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